Tire-bolt wrench.



PATENTBD MAR. l0, 1903.

l] 0 v Il UNITED STATES FATENT OEEICE.

JAMES D. SMITH, OF ARLINGTON, SOUTH DAKOTA.

TIRE-BOLT WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,637, dated March 10, 1903.

Application iiled October 18,1902. Serial No. 127,853. (No model.)

.T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES D. SMITH, a citizen of the yUnited States, residing at Arlington, in the county of Kingsburg and State of South Dakota, have invented a new and useful Tire-Bolt Wrench, of which the following is a specication. l

This invention relates to wrenches, and is particularly designed to provide an improved device of this character which is arranged for removing the tire-bolts of vehicle-wheels.

It is furthermore designed to have the device conveniently applicable to a tire, to provide for engaging the head of the bolt so as to prevent turning thereof when the nut is being unscrewed therefrom, and nally to have a yieldable engagement with the felly, so that the wrench-head may eiectively engage the nut should it be flush or countersunk in the felly.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown `in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tire-bolt wrench embodying the features of the present invention, parts being broken away to show the bolt-holding means. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. l, the felly being omitted. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View showing a modiiied form of the bolt-holding means. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. v

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The present device has a body 1, which is in the form of a horizontal bar terminating at one end in a. handle 2 and at its opposite end in an inverted substantially L-shaped bearing-bracket 3. A rotatable wrench-shaft 4 is disposed substantially horizontal above the bar or body 1, with one end terminally journaled in a horizontal bearing 5, carried by an intermediate portion of the bracket 3, with its opposite end journaled in a bracket 6, carried by and projecting laterally from the bar or body. The inner end of the wrenchshaft is projected beyond the bearing 6 and is made polygonal, so as to fit within one end of a removable wrench-head 7. A beveled gear 8 is carried by the wrench-shaft substantially midway between the bearings 5 and G. For operating the wrench-shaft there is an upstanding crank-shaft 9 removably mounted in an upstanding bearing 10, carried by the upper end of the bracket 3, with a beveled gear 11 at the lower end of the shaft and in mesh with the gear S on the wrench-shaft. In front of the Wrench-head is a pair of plates or members 12, which rise from opposite sides of the bar or body and are connected thereto by means of bolts 13. The bar or body is provided with a longitudinal series of perforations 14 for the interchangeable reception of the bolts 13, whereby the plates or inembers 12 may be adjusted toward and away from the wrench-head. The plates or members 12 form a support and are designed to carry the bolt-holding means, one form of which has been shown in Fig. 1, and consists of a cam-lever 15, which has its cam-head journaled or pivoted between the plates or members 12, as indicated at 16, the cam-head being extended to form a hook-shaped jaw 17, which depends from the lever.

Between the bearing 6 and the bolt-holding means is a telly-holder consistingof a substantially U -shaped body 18, which embraces the under side of the bar 1 andis secured lthereto by means of a transverse fastening 19, piercing the bar, the opposite sides of the U-shaped body or clip being extended upwardly to form spring-arms 20, which are adapted to bear against the inner side of a felly 21,which is situated between the wrenchhead and the bolt-holding means.

In using the present device it is passed beneath the wheel, and a crank-shaft is projected upwardly between a pair ofv adjacent spokes, so that the crank-handle may lie above the wheel in position for convenient operation. The felly 21 is received bet-Ween the spring-holding arms 2O and the bolt-holding means, with the nut of the bolt 22 received within the wrench-head, and the free end of l ICO the hook-shaped jaw set tightly against the head of the bolt to hold the latter against turning when the nut is being unscrewed by the manipulation of the crank-handle.

A very important feature of the invention resides in the provision of the yieldable or spring-holding arms 20, which yield under the pressure of the bolt-holding means, so that the wrench-head may eiectively take hold of a nut should it be iiush or countersunk within the felly.

A modified form of bolt-holding means has been shown in Figs. 3 and 4, wherein it will be seen that a block 23 is disposed between and carried by the plates or members 12 and is provided upon its upper face with a groove or guideway 24E for the reception of an endwise-slidable bolt-holder 25, which is in the form of a rack-bar, with the teeth upon its upper side thereof. Above the bolt-holder is a cam-lever 26, which is fulcrumed between the plates or members 12, as at 27, with its cam portion in the form of a segmental gear 28, meshing with the rack-bar, whereby the latter may be moved in an endwise direction into and out of engagement with the head of the tire-bolt.

Although perforations lli have been shown in Figs. l and 3, it will of course be understood that slots may and are preferred to be employed.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the present device is applicable to fellies of different sizes, as the bolt-holding means is adjustable toward and away from the felly-holder. Moreover, the felly-holder is yieldable, so as to insure an effective engagement of the wrench-head with the tirebolt nut, and each device is provided with a graduated set of wrench-heads, which may be interchangeably applied to the wrenchshaft, Vso as to take any size of nut.

What is claimed is- 1. In a tire-bolt wrench, the combination with a bar arranged to extend beneath a felly and a wrench-head located above and carried by the bar, and means mounted on the bar at one end thereof for rotating the wrench-head, of a bolt-holding device located at the other end of the bar and arranged above the same, and a felly-holder, located above the bar at a point between the bolt-holding device and the said means and yieldable under the pressure of the bolt-holding device to permit of the Wrench-head taking hold of the tire-bolt nut.

2. In a tire-bolt wrench, the combination of a bar arranged to extend beneath a felly and extending inward and outward therefrom, a wrench-head located above and carried by the bar, means for rotating the same, said means being located at one end of the bar, bolt-holding means located above the bar at the other end thereof to force a felly toward the wrenchhead, and a felly-holder extending upward from the said bar and located between the said means and comprising spring-arms disposed at opposite sides of the wrench-head and constructed to yieldably bear against the inner side of a felly.

3. In a tire-bolt wrench, the combination of a bar arranged to extend beneath a felly, a wrench-shaft located above and carried by the bar, means located at one end of the bar for rotating the wrench-shaft, a wrench-head located above the bar and carried by the wrench-shaft, a substantially U-shaped clip located between the ends of the bar and embracing and secured to the same with its opposite sides extended to form spring-arms lying at opposite sides of the wrench-head to bear against a felly, and means extending` upward from the bar and disposed in front of the arms to hold a tire-bolt against turning and to force the felly against the springarms.

4. In a tire-bolt wrench, the combination with a body terminating at one end in a handle and at its opposite end in an inverted substantially L-shaped bearing-bracket, a bearing-bracket projected intermediately from the body, a Wrench-shaft journaled in the bearings, a beveled gear upon the shaft and between the bearings, a crank-shaft journaled in the outer end of the L-shaped bracket, with its upper end provided with a handle, and its lower end provided with a beveled gear in mesh with the rst-mentioned gear, a wrench-head carried by the inner end of the wrench-shaft, a felly-holder comprising spring-arms carried by the body and projected transversely across the wrench-head at opposite sides thereof, a pair of plates projected transversely from the body in front of the spring-arms, a movable bolt-holding device mounted between the plates, and a controlling-lever fulcrumed between the plates and connected to the bolt-holder.

In a tire-bolt wrench, the combination with a wrench member, of a bolt-holder comprising an endwise slidable bolt-engaging memberhaving teeth, a gear in mesh with the teeth, and means for rotating the gear.

6. In a tire-bolt wrench, the combination with a rotatable wrench member, of a boltholder comprising an endWise-slidable boltengaging member having teeth, and a camlever having its cam portion formed into a segmental gear in mesh with the bolt-holding member.

7. In a tire-bolt wrench, the combination with a body,of a rotatable wrench member, a pair of spaced plates carried by the body and disposed in front of the wrench member, a block held between the plates and provided in its top with a guideway, an endwise-slidable bolt-holding member mounted in the guideway and provided with a longitudinal series of teeth, and a cam-lever fnlcrumed between the plates with'its cam portion formed into a segmental gear in mesh with the teeth of the bolt-holding member.

S. A tire-bolt Wrench comprising a horizontal bar provided at one end with an up- ICO Wardly-extending inverted- L.shaped bracket l ing ofthe L-shaped bracket, gearing connectp'rovided at its arms with vertical and horizontal bearings, a support extending upward from the bar and located at the other end thereof, an intermediate bracket extending upward from the bar between the ends thereof and having a bearing alined with the horizontal bearing of the L-shaped bracket, a wrenchshaft journaled in the alined bearings and located above the bar, an upstanding crank-shaft mounted in the vertical bearing the shafts, a Wrench-head carried by the Wrench-sl1aft,and a bolt-holder mounted on the support, substantially as described.

Intestimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES D. SMITH. Witnesses:

A. F. BLODGET, MAE E. WHEELER. 

